FF TDs delaying reform: Gormley
He said one of the reasons his White Paper on the subject had not been released was because it had proved “politically sensitive” within the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.
He told the Oireachtas committee examining electoral reform that Transport Minister Noel Dempsey was working on the internal party consultation process to explain the proposals.
After being asked for a timeline by Deputy Jimmy Devins, who left the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last year, the minister said a wide consultation was required with councillors around the country who feared the implications.
However, he said he still hoped to publish the plan before the summer.
Mr Gormley appeared before the committee to discuss changes to the election system and present his proposals for modernising local government.
He proposed to cap the number of TDs in the Dáil at 100, with 50 elected in the traditional manner and 50 coming from a party-based list system.
This was met with resistance from Fianna Fáil’s Deputy Michael Woods, who said there would not be enough politicians to travel abroad and sell the country in overseas markets.
Mr Gormley also said regional governments should be established around city gateways because “cities give life to a region”.
“The issue of regional governance is something we do have to address... particularly in relation to planning,” he said.
Mr Gormley said the new electoral commission, which was promised in the Programme for Government, would not be introduced in the short term.
This was because the franchise section of the Department of the Environment was already over-worked.
However, he did want to create an interim commission which would not have a legal footing but would lay the ground work.
He said the make-up of the commission would be chaired by a senior judge and include the Ombudsman, the Comptroller and Auditor General and clerks of the Dáil and Seanad.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
